The usefulness and, therefore, the popularity of many electronic devices, including portable electronic devices (such as cellular telephones), is often gated by ease of use. In particular, the ease of use of many electronic devices is typically determined by the user interface. The user interface is the gateway through which users' actions or behaviors are defined and received, including user attempts to access the features of an electronic device. Consequently, the user interface is integral to an overall user experience.
However, there are limitations associated with existing user interfaces. For example, many existing user interfaces, especially those in small, handheld electronic devices, are constrained by their size. In addition, it can be difficult to present information on a user interface in a way that allows different types of information to be intuitively distinguished from each other. Consequently, the amount of information that can be displayed on a user interface is often restricted, and users are often confused by the information that is displayed. In addition to frustrating the users and degrading the user experience, there is often a significant opportunity cost associated with information that is overlooked or that is not displayed.